This isn't a review because I haven't played the entire game. I just wanted to clarify that just to be fair.

So Bodycount was an interesting demo to try out. By interesting, I mean another generic shooter. Many things were mediocre or just plain bad about this game, but I don't want to be overly negative so I will name a few positives. The cover system was interesting. I've never really played a FPS that had the 'lean out of cover' mechanic that is popular in 3rd person shooters. The shooting felt satisfying whether you were pulling off a headshot, clipping an explosive barrel, or shooting away cover to expose an enemy.

Now a few negatives...I played the demo with low aiming sensitivity(the default setting) but later tried to increase it to see if it felt better. It did improve but the iron sights mode still felt very stiff and was a little frustrating. The boss in the game was unbelievable. What kind of human doesn't die from someone emptying an entire clip on them? Or a shotgun to the head? I don't even think a game like this needs a boss. The graphics were pretty bad. The art direction seemed like it was on the right track but everything felt a little unfinished. I have no idea what the story was about because the demo doesn't really give much information and doesn't even attempt to introduce a character. Anyways these are a few of my impressions of the demo. Check out my video and watch me struggle with the unresponsive controls! Hopefully it is entertaining.

Because I'm a member of Playstation Plus I was able to try out the Resistance 3 beta and I thought I’d just share a few thoughts on it!

First of all I want to let you guys know that as far as multiplayer goes, I’m mostly a halo-girl. I don’t hate Call of Duty, I just personally don’t get into military shooters as much as I do sci-fi or, in the case of Resistance 3, sci-fi mixed with alternate history. I bought my ps3 at launch and the game I purchased with it was Resistance: Fall of Man. This was the best game I’d ever bought at the launch of a new console. I’ve never really been interested in Resistance’s multiplayer. In fact, I generally don’t care about multiplayer. Resistance 2's solo campaign wasn’t as good but it was decent. My enthusiasm for the series waned until I saw more of Resistance 3 as its launch date approached. My interest was piqued as I watched game-play videos and gained insight into what the story was going to be about. The game looks visually gorgeous and the story seemed like it was going to be more fleshed out. My budget is tight and so I have to pick and choose the games I want to purchase day-of-release this fall. Resistance was sadly not high on this list, that is, until I played the beta a few days ago.

I’m including some footage of me playing the game below! I have a few things to correct in my video. First off, I did much better the second round playing as a human. I found out that the shield powers you see in this video are from getting three kills in a row. I eventually got to six kills in a row and was awarded an auger for short time use! I’m sad that you guys didn’t get to see my skills. My kill/death ratio was a lot better as well. Also, I came to the conclusion that the cloaking power must be chimera only, since I didn’t get that power as a human. I hope you find this video somewhat entertaining and informative. If you have any form of access to the beta I highly recommend you try it out.

I recently replayed Half-Life 2 and played Episode 1 and 2 for the first time. I enjoyed my moments with this game so much that I came to the conclusion that everyone needs to play this game! Here are the reasons why!

1. The Price:

This game came out in 2004 and the price has come way down. You can download it off Steam for $6.99 or you can buy it in the Orange Box for xbox 360 for $19.99 ( The PS3 version is priced higher and doesn't run as well so I recommend 360 unless you only have a ps3) Not only does this include Half-Life 2, but you also get Half-Life 2 Episodes 1 and 2, Team Fortress, and Portal.

The Orange Box!!!

2. Has Aged Well

This game holds up really well for such an old game. The graphics aren't as spectacular today as they were in '04 but they still are quite good. The gameplay is somewhat dated in the fact that to melee you have to equip your melee weapon (same with grenades) but I never found that to be much of a problem. In fact the gameplay, in retrospect, was probably ahead of its time.

Pretty good for a 7 year-old game

3. The Characters

Half-Life 2 has fantastic characters. I felt a fondness and a connection to all the characters I was introduced to in the game. Most games (FPS seem to be especially guilty) don't have that level of care put into their characters. Alyx Vance is everyone's favorite for good reason. She keeps you company on occasion (more so in Episodes 1 and 2) and I love having her around. She is also one of the more interesting female video game characters of recent years.

Dr, Kleiner, Eli Vance, and Alyx Vance

4. The Story

The story of Half-Life 2 is structured well and is enjoyable throughout. The setting is a dystopian Earth where the Combine (an oppressive multidimensional biomechanical force) have taken over. You play as Gordan Freeman and join an underground resistance that was formed by former colleagues at Black Mesa. The story and gameplay mesh into one entity as you are introduced to the game. Playing the first Half Life is not required (although you can get that cheap off steam as well!) but I recommend maybe reading a synopsis of the first game online somewhere. One thing that I really appreciate about the Half-Life series is the level of mysteriousness. I often speculate about who G-man is and why he's so damned interested in Gordan Freeman!

Keep an eye out for G-man. He seems to always be watching!! Kinda creepy.

5. Length vs Enjoyment

I have often noticed that first person shooter campaigns are often short. I have also noticed that I am usually ready for them to be over once they do end. As much as I enjoy a first person shooter, often I find that the gameplay gets repetitive and the story just isn't that interesting. This is not the case with Half-Life 2. The campaign is easily 13-15 hours long and that doesn't include the other episodes. Episode 1 takes about 4 hours while Episode 2 takes 5-7 hours. Now, length is only a good thing when you are enjoying the experience the entire time, right? Well I can honestly say that I never felt the game was repetitive at all. This is largely due to the various puzzles and vehicles in the game. Also the objectives are sometimes different or the game lets you gain control of an amazing weapon/ability. I won't say specifics for the sake of not spoiling anything! Now, fifteen hours is a really long first person shooter and the fact that it is enjoyable the entire time is just one more reason why you need to play this game!

Driving an airboat

6. Very Immersive

Okay so I'm going to reference the characters and story once again, but not as a main reason for the immersion. These factors just add up to a world that is entirely believable and make you feel a part of it. As you are making your way to your next objective, the way isn't necessarily laid out for you with a blinking neon sign. While the game is mostly linear there is room for exploration and you can often find extra supplies if you look around. There is even a singing vortigaunt you can discover in a cave (you also get an achievement for finding him!) Another aspect that helps immerse the player is the fact that all the puzzles are extremely logical and mostly intuitive. All these things create a world that feels very real and the experience is spectacular.

Lambdas indicate supplies. Could this be an intuitive puzzle?

I hope you found these reasons helpful if you haven't played the game yet, and if you have I hope that you enjoyed the game as much as I did. Maybe you should go replay it!

My favorite thing to do is game. Ever since I was five years old I remember being fascinated by video games. As I did not own my own system I had to go to my cousin's house to play their NES. I remember long hours of playing Super Mario Bros 1, 2 & 3, DuckTales, The Legend of Zelda, and Bubble Bobble. I was officially a user. I had certain friends that were merely a means to play video games.

My family did own a Mac and I spent long hours playing Odell Down Under, Myst, Sam and Max Hit the Road, Full Throttle, and The Dig. It wasn't until the Playstation had been out a year or two until I was allowed to get my own gaming console... a SNES. I remember listening to the Spice Girls (yes I admitted it) while playing Aladdin, Donkey Kong Country, and Kirby. I would also go over to my cousin's house and we would play Crash Bandicoot for hours.

Bubble expectorating dinosaurs. What's not to like?

Finally when I was around 13 or 14 my dad became open to the idea of video games as a valid form of entertainment and he would take me and my cousins to a LAN shack and we would play some multiplayer shooters such as Quake and Duke Nukem 3D. We also frequented a local arcade. Rampage and the Simpsons brawler spring to mind. My dad's new found appreciation towards video games was probably partially caused by him actually doing some work for a game (Warhawk). It was around this time that I finally was allowed a current game console... a PLAYSTATION!!! My dad, finally being open to gaming, would actually play games with me now. I spent long hours playing Vigilante 8 with him or my best friend Liz while listening to the Cranberries. My dad, very excited over the hype when The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time came out, got me an N64. Holy crap! Not only did I now have TWO current gaming platforms, but my dad was actually enabling me!

I visited his office on occasion. They had a Dreamcast there and a huge grey box that was supposed to be a PS2. I played Sonic Adventures by myself all day until my dad was off work. We then played Soul Caliber, ordered pizza, and watched Mortal Kombat. One of my best nights ever!

Okay, at this point I probably sound like a person who only cares about games, discards any human contact and doesn't go outside. It's not true! Don't worry... I'm a functioning member of society! I just happen to love games... a lot!